The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for managing inventory. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and systems for managing product allocations of an inventory within a supply chain management system. One aspect of this invention is the support of a collaborative planning process for product allocations using a product allocation interface.
Today, the success of a business company depends essentially on the requirement that customer demands on goods and/or services be fulfilled precisely, cost-efficiently and in time. Therefore, many companies make use of a supply chain management system to control and optimize their production and delivery processes.
Supply chain management may comprise the process of controlling the flow of goods, services, information and/or finances between the involved parties such as manufactures, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. This process may include, among others, order processing, information feedback, and timely delivering the ordered goods and/or services.
One part of supply chain management is the maintenance of an inventory in several warehouses, wherein the warehouses may be located with each participant, which is involved in the supply chain, e.g., manufacturer, dealer or middleman. An inventory of goods is understood here to comprise all goods being on stock at a specific time. In this supply chain, a participant can act either as a supplier or as a customer.
Any inventory shortage in the supply chain could have negative effects on the efficiency of the business, including production delays, missed order deadlines or disability to meet customers demands. In order to avoid such negative effects, the concept of product allocations is used within supply chain management.
State of the Art
In current supply chain management systems the product allocation data is maintained centralized by one of the participants of the supply chain. Other participants within the supply chain do not have access to this product allocation data.